The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

 By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Anxiety is a natural fear response that is designed to protect us from danger. It’s a signal that comes from our subconscious mind that danger is near, and we need to prepare ourselves for fight or flight. Our brains are very powerful and can conceptualize danger even if it’s not present. This creates a problem as we can feel anxious about something that truly does not exist. This hovering anxiety is a type of generalized anxiety as it has no identifiable root cause. Anxiety is very common in the United States and is one of the leading causes of mental health treatment concerns. Over the past year, U.S. prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax and Klonopin increased from 8.8 million in March 2019 to 9.7 million in March 2020 according to health-research firm IQVIA. Medication is a common first line defense for anxiety, however long term it has been shown not to be effective for treating anxiety. History of anxiety medication treatm...

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC Worry, everyone does it, from 5-year-olds to those in their 50’s. Even though it’s common everyone also understands worry is not productive. We worry about things we can’t control. Crime in big cities. Global warming. What mean people will say about a Facebook post, or worse how someone might judge an Instagram family photo when your hair just would not cooperate. Worry doesn’t make health better, in fact, it can make it worse. For some it’s a stress headache, others it’s terrible gastrointestinal pain. Stress and worry drain energy and have no benefit to physical or mental health. Is there a better way? I believe there is a single word to solve this dilemma and recapture the lost energy, health problems and sleep loss that comes from chronic worry. The word is Care. Moms tell their kids to be careful at school but that doesn’t stop the bullies from saying mean things. People talk about being careful on the roads traveling, but saying...

By: Cara Griffin-Locker She sat with her breath held as the bills lay on the kitchen table.   She did not know how they were all going to get paid or how they would have anything left for food or daily essentials. She started to second guess her decision to leave the job that she had had for eight and a half years. She questioned the wisdom in losing the paid vacation and the health care benefits. Everything started to become overwhelming and the worrying was taking over. It was starting to consume her; what seemed possible now seemed so impossible and the thoughts of having to keep working was very unsettling.   The worrying started to take its toll physically, she found herself not being able to sleep and her appetite had decreased. She realized that she was losing control. Most of us can probably relate to this scenario - worrying about bills, wanting to be a stay-at-home parent, etc.. If we take a minute we will realize that life is full of things to worry about: w...

    By Laura Hull, LMFT Coping Coach   Disillusioned? Disgruntled? Doggone tired of worrying about financial issues, both of a personal nature and for the country as a whole?   You are not alone…. There’s a choir of worrying handwringers waiting to join hands with you, while singing of the plight of “Gina and Tommy” in a verse of “Living on a Prayer” (80’s hair and all).   As much as songwriters like to write songs about the romantic notion of “all you need is love” and “we’ll live on love”, the rest of us who live in the real world know all too well about the financial pain many are experiencing and the worry and fear that go along with it.   A government shutdown created by the bickering of those some would argue are fat cat politicians does not conjure up positive feelings or hopeful sentiment from a large population of people who are struggling financially in their day to day lives.   While 800,000 government workers are seeing their...